THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE ALL HAVE WOUNDS, BUT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE THE VICTOR, NOT THE VICTOM

Ashes represent what’s left over when everything is burned up. THESE ashes represent your broken dreams, your disappointments, your hurts and your pains. We all have our share of ASHES. God wants to give you BEAUTY for ashes, but an EXCHANGE must occur. You can’t hold on to your ashes and receive something BEAUTIFUL. You have to lay ASIDE the ashes and ACCEPT the bouquets of roses God has for you. If you’re going to see the BEAUTY, you have to SHAKE OFF the ashes of self-pity. You have to shake off the discouragement. We all have wounds, but He wants you to be the VICTOR, not the victim! Make a DECISION to let go of the ashes of the past and grasp the “ROSES” God has for you.

Today’s Scripture:

…Give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes…

(Isaiah 61:3, TLB)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LIFE TAKES ON A NEW LEVEL AND PURPOSE WHEN YOU FOCUS ON CARING FOR OTHERS

Every important RELATIONSHIP you have should be an opportunity to ask yourself, “Am I sensitive to this person’s NEEDS?” Try to DISCOVER what the people around you need. People have different ways they express and receive LOVE. We ALL have different KINDS of needs and different WAYS that these needs are best MET. These DIFFERENCES are PART of what make our relationships EXCITING and FULFILLING! Take the time to find out what your SPOUSE needs and how you can best meet THOSE needs. Not only will this work in MARRIAGE, but in every OTHER relationship of your life. You’ll grow closer to your CHILDREN, have more meaningful and fulfilling FRIENDSHIPS, and find that your life takes on a new level and PURPOSE when you focus on CARING for OTHERS. In Jesus’ name – Amen.

Today’s Scripture:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Matthew 5:6, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, YOU WERE CHOSEN AND APPROVED BY ALMIGHTY GOD

You are APPROVED by Almighty God! You are CREATED in His image, and you’re the apple of His eye. You did NOT choose God, but He chose YOU, and He is PLEASED with you—His most PRECIOUS creation. Notice that verse doesn’t say that God approves you as long as you don’t have any faults, or as long as you don’t make any mistakes. No, God approves you UNCONDITIONALLY. No matter how many WEAKNESSES you may THINK you have today, no matter how many times you FALL in your walk with God, you’ve got to get right back UP again and hold your head up HIGH. Don’t allow the enemy to bring strife into your life by deceiving you into THINKING that you are not “GOOD enough” for the PLAN of God. Stand STRONG in your thoughts about yourself knowing that you have been CHOSEN and APPROVED by Almighty God.

Today’s Scripture:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”

Jeremiah 1:5, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD NEVER CALLED YOU TO BE BUSY, HE CALLED YOU TO BE ‘FRUITFUL’

Are you missing out on the JOYS of life because you are too BUSY? God called you to be FRUITFUL—He never called you to be busy. Don’t get ACTIVITY mixed up with PRODUCTIVITY. Just because you are on the go and always doing things doesn’t NECESSARILY mean that you’re fulfilling God’s best PLAN for your life. All work and no PLAY is NOT healthy. Ask the Lord to show you which areas need to be cut back and which areas need more FOCUS. Ask Him to show you which RELATIONSHIPS to let go of and which relationships to DEVELOPE in your life. Stop allowing the unproductive areas of your life to consume all of your TIME, FOCUS and ENERGY. As you make adjustments to bring BALANCE to your schedule, you will have room for the ACTIVITIES and RELATIONSHIPS that bring you JOY and PEACE.

Today’s Scripture:

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it…”

Genesis 1:28, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE WERE CREATED TO BE GIVERS OF GOD’S SELFLESS AND COMPASSIONATE LOVE….

One of the greatest CHALLENGES facing our society today is the tendency to live selfish lives. Society teaches us to look out for number one. But did you know that God CREATED us to be GIVERS of His selfless and compassionate LOVE? John 3:16 tells us that God showed HIS love to us by giving His SON, and we also show our love to OTHERS by our GIVING. You can experience a new level of God’s JOY, BLESSING and FAVOR in your life when you step out and develop a LIFESTYLE of giving. Be a GIVER rather than a taker. You won’t have to look far before you find SOMEONE you can HELP. First Thessalonians 5:15 says, “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but ALWAYS aim to show KINDNESS and seek to do good to EVERYBODY.” Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to meet the needs others TODAY.

Today’s Scripture:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

ONE TOUCH FROM ALMIGHTY GOD CAN INSTANTLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Our God is a God of “suddenlies!” SUDDENLY, He breaks an ADDICTION. Suddenly, your HEALTH improves. Suddenly, you are given that PROMOTION. When you keep your heart OPEN, expectant and filled with FAITH, God goes to WORK. In the same way Jesus turned the five loaves of bread and two fish into lunch for 5,000 men (Matthew 14:17), God will take your FAITH in Him and turn it into the PROVISION you need! The enemy’s goal is to get you discouraged so you will give up and settle where you are. Don’t be DECEIVED! No matter how many disappointments you’ve encountered, God can turn things around for you in a SPLIT SECOND of time! One touch of His favor can SUDDENLY restore RELATIONSHIPS! One touch of His GOODNESS can solve that PROBLEM you’re facing today! Just ONE TOUCH from Almighty God can instantly change your life!

Today’s Scripture:

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOUR DESTINY CANNOT BE STOPPED BY OTHER PEOPLE, GOD WILL ALWAYS CAUSE YOU TO TRIUMPH

Have you ever noticed that you often face your greatest attacks when you’re about to give birth to the DREAMS God placed in your heart? The enemy waits until you’re close to the PROMOTION, close to the BREAKTHROUGH. He’ll strike when you’re JUST about to step up to a new level. Don’t be SURPRISED if you face opposition or go through a disappointment. Perhaps a friend whom you were counting on is not there. Or, it’s taking longer than you EXPECTED. That simply means you’re about to give birth to what God has placed in your HEART. The GOOD news is, the forces that are FOR you are greater than the forces that are AGAINST you. Your DESTINY cannot be stopped by a bad break, by disappointments, by opposition or by other PEOPLE. God ALWAYS causes you to TRIUMPH. He says, “NO weapon formed against you will EVER prosper.”

Today’s Scripture:

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.”

2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU ARE FAITHFUL IN DOING WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE RIGHT, GOD WILL REWARD YOUR DILIGENCE

If we are to accomplish God’s BEST in our life, we have to be dreamers AND doers. You need to dream big dreams AND have a vision of VICTORY for your life, but you also have to put your FAITH into action. The Bible tells us that “faith without works is DEAD.” If you are believing for a PROMOTION at work, you need to be the most DILIGENT worker there. If your dream is to be debt FREE, you are going to have to be careful how you spend your MONEY. If you are believing for a better MARRIAGE relationship, sometimes you will have to fight for PEACE. Continue to sow those seeds of ENCOURAGEMENT, HOPE, FAITHFULNESS and live a DISCIPLINED life. When you are FAITHFUL in doing what you KNOW to be right, God will REWARD your diligence, and you will reap a HARVEST of VICTORY.

Today’s Scripture:

Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

Ecclesiastes 11:6, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHAT WE ALLOW INTO OUR MINDS WILL EVENTUALLY AFFECT OUR HEARTS…..

You were meant to rise HIGH in heavenly places and stand with God, but notice that in order to ASCEND, we have to make sure we have clean hands and a pure heart. How do we have clean hands and a pure heart? First of all, only JESUS can make us CLEAN and NEW. Once we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we have to choose every day to stand against the enemy and his ATTEMPTS to bring us back DOWN. It all happens in our THOUGHT life. We have to guard our thoughts by guarding what we allow to INFLUENCE our thoughts. We can’t just watch anything on TV. We can’t listen to any CONVERSATION. We have to make sure that what we allow into our minds is PLEASING to the Lord because what we allow into our minds will EVENTUALLY affect our HEARTS. Choose today to ASCEND in your thoughts so you can ascend in your LIFE and receive the BLESSINGS the Lord has in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

Psalm 24:3-5, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY AND HE HAS NOT CHANGED HIS MIND…..

You may have things in your life that seem DEAD—a relationship, a business, your health. Jesus would say to you that He has POWER over death. God’s LOVE can bring that relationship back to life that seems dead to you and take it to an entirely NEW level. Maybe you feel that you have a “dead-end JOB,” or maybe you think your life is going nowhere and you have no PURPOSE. We want to ENCOURAGE you today! The same power that raised JESUS from the dead can REVITALIZE your career and put you on a path of SUCCESS. If you start BELIEVING again, God is going to RESURRECT what you thought was dead. You may have tried and failed, but DREAMS that you’ve given up on are going to SUDDENLY come back to life. Problems that looked permanent are going to suddenly TURN AROUND. God has the FINAL say. He has NOT changed HIS mind.

Today’s Scripture:

…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

(Ephesians 3:17–18, NIV)